Organic Transitions: Dakota Rudloff-Eastman & Matthew Went | River Ridge Farm and Market
March 30, 2026
As a core partner in the ongoing Transition to Organic Partnership Program (TOPP), CT NOFA has provided support to Connecticut farms that are pursuing organic certification. One of the farms that has achieved organic certification with support from the program is River Ridge Farm (Portland, CT), one of the first farms to become a program participant.
I think we try to take a holistic approach to growing food. We’re trying to grow really high-quality produce but we’re also looking after the environment and we’re looking after employees and trying to build something that makes you feel good about what you eat.
In this video, farm owners and operators Dakota Rudloff-Eastman and Matthew Went discuss how they heard about TOPP, how the transition process was less challenging than they expected, how their mentor helped, and how being organically certified has helped them make wholesale farming profitable. The video also features Sherlene Rodriguez, Program Director of TOPP at CT NOFA and Jeremy Pelletier, Executive Director of CT NOFA.
This video was produced by UConn Extension in partnership with CT NOFA and filmed by Defining Studios.
Recent Posts
CT NOFA Launches Equipment Share Program
CT NOFA is proud to announce the launch of our Equipment Share Program. In partnership with The Hickories in Ridgefield, Connecticut, this program aims to provide both commercial farmers and home gardeners free access to both specialized equipment and expertise in a shared environment. Equipment Share days at The Hickories will include free soil analysis, seed winnowing services, nut cleaning, compost tea brewing workshops, and much more.
Advocacy News: May 2026
The Good News: CT Senator Chris Murphy has introduced a bill (bipartisan and bicameral) to increase funding for Agricultural Management Assistance to $30 million and to expand the eligible uses for these funds to include “soil health improvements, composting, implementing organic farming, and food safety certification in addition to existing authorized uses such as water management structure and soil erosion control.” Let’s thank Senator Murphy for introducing this bill!
The Bad News: The Farm Bill passed the House of Representatives on April 30, despite 320 food, farm, and conservation organizations, including CT NOFA, voicing our opposition to a bill that does not fix SNAP, does not support new and beginning farmers, and does not adequately support conservation programs or organic agriculture. Now it goes to the Senate and we need to urge both of Connecticut’s Senators to reject this Farm Bill.